GENEVA, 15 June 2012 - As the 2012 Atlantic Hurricane Season kicks off, all 16 member governments of the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) have committed for the sixth year in a row to renew their hurricane and earthquake insurance for 2012-2013 and earned themselves a 25% premium rebate.

A USAID/OFDA-supported Red Cross program
to strengthen disaster preparedness in the Caribbean concluded its first
phase in August and will begin phase two in October.

The program, "Readiness to Respond:
Increased Disaster Preparedness through Enhanced Coordination and Community
Awareness," is a joint effort between USAID/OFDA, the American Red
Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies,
and Caribbean Red Cross societies.

The International Federation of Red Cross
and Red Crescent societies (IFRC) is encouraging the people of the Caribbean
to become 'Red Cross ready' for the 2009 hurricane season which officially
starts today, June 1st and ends on November 30th.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) forecasters say the 2009 Atlantic hurricane season is expected to
be near-normal. However, the IFRC is advising the public to prepare for
the possibility of being hit by a storm.

Programme purpose: National Societies
in the Caribbean region are implementing efficient, responsive and focused
programmes that contribute to improving the lives of vulnerable people.
These programmes are aligned with the International Federation's Global
Agenda, which sets out four broad goals to meet the Federation's mission
to "improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power
of humanity".

Programme summary: The first half
of 2008 was an extremely busy year for the region.

The Federation's mission is to improve
the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity. It
is the world's largest humanitarian organization and its millions of volunteers
are active in over 181 countries. For more information: www.ifrc.org

The Federation's mission is to improve
the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity. It
is the world's largest humanitarian organization and its millions of volunteers
are active in over 181 countries. For more information: www.ifrc.org

In December 2000 Professor William M Gray et al, forecasted that the 2001 hurricane season would be a below average hurricane season. However, at the beginning of the 2001 hurricane season, this team updated their forecast on June 07, 2001 to indicate that the season would be above average consisting of 12 named storms, 7 hurricanes and 3 intense hurricanes. The long-term averages are: Tropical Storms-10, Hurricanes-6 and Major Hurricanes-2. (NOAA, 2001).